The 5 Major Problems with EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs)

In this article, you’ll learn what EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs) are, why they are making a comeback in today’s workplace discussions, and how to understand their very low engagement rates.

What Is an EAP (Employee Assistance Program)?

An EAP is an employee assistance program designed to support staff, usually on a short-term basis or in times of crisis.

In practice, this often takes the form of a hotline employees can access with a password, or, in the best cases, a digital platform offering basic support.

The Pandemic and the Resurgence of EAPs

2020 was a challenging year—no need to repeat what’s already been said. Countless articles highlighted the importance of mental health at work. At teale, we’ve retained three key takeaways:

Insight #1: Stress Has Been Rising for Years

Focusing only on 2020 ignores the bigger picture. Workplace stress has been steadily increasing long before the pandemic. The most severe cases, leading to depressive disorders, have grown by nearly 50% over the last seven years.

Insight #2: The Pandemic Accelerated the Stress Wave

Remote work and widespread uncertainty intensified employee isolation and stress. Boundaries between personal and professional life blurred, leaving employees without the decompression spaces they once had. Work-related issues literally entered their homes.

Insight #3: Employees Expect Employers to Take a Stand

This last point is the most important. The global rise of employee advocacy movements (similar to #balancetastartup in France) highlights a cultural shift: the “burnout culture” is no longer tolerated.

It is now seen as a duty for employers to care for employee mental health. Beyond well-being, the financial stakes are high: Deloitte estimates the cost of poor mental health at around €2,000 per employee per year. This pressure pushes companies to look for solutions—enter the EAP.

Engagement Rates: Just 1–3%

EAPs were designed to meet these crisis needs. Yet, when we look at the data, average engagement rates are only 1–3%.

Perhaps you’ve seen it firsthand: maybe your company implemented a helpline. How many calls did you actually record?

Isn’t this the real paradox of workplace mental health? On one side, there’s an urgent and recognized need for support. On the other, once an EAP is in place, almost no one uses it.

Why Are EAP Engagement Rates So Low?

Problem #1: EAPs Ignore Cultural Perceptions of Mental Health

Mental health remains stigmatized in many cultures.

Think of this simple exercise:

• If you hear “physical health”, you might think of regular exercise and a balanced diet.
• If you hear “mental health”, many people still think of illness.

Yet, it’s the same word: health.

Traditional EAPs don’t help bridge this gap. Without clear education on what mental health is—and why it matters—employees won’t engage. They need context, clarity, and accessible explanations, which EAPs rarely provide.

Problem #2: EAPs Act Reactively, Not Preventively

Mental health is not just about illness. Like physical health, it exists on a spectrum—from illness to thriving.

Not everyone is sick. Some employees simply need tools to better understand themselves and build resilience before problems escalate.

EAPs, by design, step in only in times of crisis. This leaves many employees feeling that these resources are “not for them,” which reduces usage and long-term impact.

Problem #3: One-Size-Fits-All Solutions

EAPs originated decades ago, and many haven’t evolved since. Their outdated design doesn’t match modern user expectations.

Today’s employees are used to personalized experiences—think Netflix or Spotify, which suggest content tailored to each user. By contrast, EAPs still deliver the same interface and resources to everyone.

Given the complexity of mental health, expecting a generic solution to work for all employees is unrealistic.

Problem #4: Passive Experiences

If you work in HR, you’ve probably noticed the same issue in training programs: long, top-down content doesn’t engage employees anymore.

It’s easy to see why. Watching a 45-minute video without interaction feels impossible—we lose focus quickly.

Mental health support should be interactive. Employees should be active participants in their journey.

Think of popular fitness apps like Freeletics, Adidas Training, or Nike Training. They allow users to follow personalized programs based on their goals.

Now imagine the same for mental health: short, impactful, human-centered content combined with interactive exercises to apply new learnings.

That’s what we are building at teale.

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Problem #5: Neglecting Human Connection

This may be the most fundamental problem. Humans are social beings—we thrive on connection. During lockdowns, video platforms like Zoom exploded precisely because of this need.

Now, ask yourself: who would feel comfortable calling a cold, anonymous helpline to talk about deeply personal struggles?

It’s easy to understand why engagement is so low. Without a genuine human connection, EAPs fail to meet employees’ needs.

Toward a New Type of EAP

At teale, we’ve spent months analyzing this engagement paradox to design a solution that truly helps employees care for their mental health.

Our approach: 4 products in 1.

• Personalized support: a mental health index that helps each employee assess and track their well-being.
• Interactive support: digital therapy programs, structured like series and exercises, adapted to each employee’s score, empowering them to take an active role in their mental health.
• Human support: direct sessions with therapists, offering personalized guidance on specific challenges.
• Collective support: company-wide initiatives where teale helps HR and leaders normalize and promote mental health conversations.